The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco has praised the New York Association of Counties for passing a resolution calling for the federal government to support and implement the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act of 2009, S. 1147.

The resolution, passed by NYSAC on Feb. 11, 2010, calls on Congress “to take any and all necessary action to insure the passage” of the PACT Act.

This legislation will help combat online cigarette sales that have robbed hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues from the states and that undermine state laws that prevent youth access to tobacco products.

“Passage of the PACT Act would be a huge victory for American tax payers, American small business owners and America’s youth,” said Scott Ramminger, AWMA president and CEO and coalition spokesperson. “This bill will ensure that states, like New York, can collect tax revenue and that purchasers of tobacco products abide by already enacted state and federal laws.”

Numerous stakeholders support the PACT Act, which was passed in the House of Representatives last May. S. 1147 closes gaps in current federal laws regulating “remote” or “delivery” sales of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products.

“In a recent study we found that illegal cigarette sales cost states $5 billion per year, and that with online sales there is almost no age verification at the time of purchase,” continued Ramminger.

“We hope that the Senate will act swiftly to pass this common sense legislation so that we can put an end to the illegal sale of tobacco products,” concluded Ramminger.

The Coalition to Stop Contraband Tobacco is a group of individuals, associations, businesses and other organizations that share the goal of enacting legislation that will eliminate underage access to tobacco on the Internet, curtail associated illegal activities and capture lost state excise tax revenues.

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